Parole denied for American Fork man who killed brother in 2005

A man who killed his brother in 2005 and made odd ramblings during his first parole hearing in January has been denied parole.

UTAH STATE PRISON — A man who killed his brother in 2005 and made odd ramblings during his first parole hearing in January has been denied parole.

Eryk S. Drej, 44, of American Fork, shot his brother, Lukasz Drej, 25, point-blank at least nine times, beat his head with a rifle and then dragged him down the stairs of his family's home in June of 2005. He killed his brother because he believed the man was going to kidnap a woman and sell her organs on the black market.

In another bizarre act, Drej told officials he had placed "smiley faces" around his mother's American Fork home to warn his brother of impending danger.

Drej was charged with murder, a first-degree felony, but was twice found incompetent to stand trial. The case was resolved in 2010 when he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of murder, a second-degree felony, and was sentenced to one to 15 years at the Utah State Prison. The judge also granted a request from attorneys on both sides of the case that Drej not be given credit for the time he had already served.

In January, Drej went before a member of the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole for the first time. During the nearly 40-minute session, Drej — who admitted he was not currently taking any anti-psychotic medication — gave rambling answers that were off topic and he often repeated himself.

The topics he chose to talk about included his belief that all inmates should have their own cells and private bathrooms complete with bidets, blaming his inability to recall details of the murder to either something he ate or slipping and hitting his head, and choosing to take multivitamins rather than anti-psychotic medications while in prison.

The parole board on Thursday announced that it scheduled a rehearing for Drej in April 2024, and ordered a new psychological evaluation be conducted by that time.

Because Drej did not receive credit for any time already served prior to his conviction, if he serves his full time his sentence will expire in October 2025.